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The legal costs of political ideology in Costa Mesa

by • July 29, 2011

Councilman Jim Righeimer - Costa Mesa, Photo: Chris Prevatt

The Daily Pilot reported yesterday that the potential legal costs for the City of Costa Mesa to defend their ideologically-driven assault on public employees could cost, based on City estimates, at least $250,000.

The city has spent more than $10,000 defending a lawsuit from the Costa Mesa City Employees Assn. and is tapping law specialists to handle the matter in the future, Assistant City Attorney Harold Potter, who is with the Jones & Mayer law firm, wrote in a July 14 court filing.

“It is anticipated that the total attorney fees and costs incurred by the city of Costa Mesa in defending this matter, through trial, will crest $250,000,” Potter wrote. “It is further anticipated that this action will take two years to reach its final determination.”

OC Supervisor John Moorlach - Photo: Chris Prevatt

If the concept of a bunch of lawyers making a ton of money because a couple politicians want to push a political ideology and agenda at taxpayer expense sounds familiar to you, your waste-detector is working well. The why is quite simply that the right-wing ideologues Councilmen Jim Righeimer, Stephen Mensinger, and Colin McCarthy of the Costa Mesa Taxpayers Association are being advised by Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach.

Moorlach is responsible for pushing the failed taxpayer funded lawsuit pursued by the County of Orange to overturn pension benefits negotiated a decade ago with the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s. The misguided lawsuit was pushed on the flawed theory that it could save hundreds of millions in pension benefit costs. The end result will be the taxpayers footing a bill in excess of $5 million in legal fees due to Moorlach’s Folly.

The City of Costa Mesa seems to be hell-bent on wasting money on no-bid, off budget, consultants to further policies that are flawed, from a management and legal perspective. Some people just never seem to learn from their own mistakes, or those of others.

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1 comment for “The legal costs of political ideology in Costa Mesa”

It’s not surprising that Jobn Moorlach is advising the CM3. Republicans in this county will push their agenda regardless of cost to the public. Even Shawn Nelson is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong calling for the Feds to investigate FPD. Not even the Republican machine trusts the most corrupt DA in California to do a proper investigation. But, everyone trusts Big John.